Resource Topics Adult Learning

April 12, 2021

CICan launches new report and environmental scan on microcredentials

Ottawa, April 12, 2021 – In order to help understand the latest trends in lifelong learning, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) has released a new study on the status of microcredentials. Based on an environmental scan and a survey of colleges and institutes, the report shows how these flexible and accessible learning options are gaining ground across the country. The environmental scan showed a great interest in microcredentials across Canada and a degree of agreement on their purpose, characteristics and value. It also showed that 56% of responding colleges are offering microcredentials either online, in-person, or both, and that 33%... Read more

February 26, 2020

Open Letter to the Minister of Finance

The following letter was addressed to the Honourable Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance Dear Minister Morneau: As the collective voices of colleges, polytechnics, cégeps and institutes of technology across the country, we write to urge you to consider making a new investment in applied research. A relatively modest annual contribution of $40 million will supercharge the innovation supports this sector offers to Canada’s small- and mid-sized firms. This investment stands to make a powerful impact well beyond growth for Canadian business interests. Applied research is also developing the next generation of innovation-enabled talent and is contributing pragmatic solutions to Canada’s... Read more

June 5, 2019

Open Letter to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

The following letter was addressed to the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Dear Minister, With 95% of all Canadians and 86% of Indigenous peoples living within 50 kilometres of a location of a college, institute, cegep or polytechnic, these institutions are uniquely positioned to support skills development across the country. CICan applauds the launch of the Canada Training Benefit (CTB). This program is a promising first step towards building a culture of lifelong learning in Canada and ensuring that Canadians possess the skills needed for a changing economy. Canada’s colleges, institutes, cegeps and polytechnics... Read more

March 14, 2018

First social impact bond pilot has positive impact on unemployed Canadians

Ottawa, March 14, 2018 – The first national social finance project of its kind in Canada has completed its final round of essential skills training with important results for Canadians. All in all, 88% of the unemployed Canadians who received training as part of the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Essential Skills Social Finance (ESSF) pilot, achieved measurable skills improvements. The ESSF pilot marked the Government of Canada’s first time testing elements of a social impact bond (SIB). Upfront capital for the training program was raised from private investors – Conexus Credit Union, the Catherine Donnelly Foundation, and Dave and... Read more

February 23, 2018

The New ‘When And How’ Of Learning

This op-ed was originally published in the Globe and Mail on February 23, 2018. A few weeks ago, Amazon opened the first checkout-free convenience store, ushering in a future without lineups to pay, but also without cashiers. And just like that, one more occupation was added to the growing list of jobs at risk of disappearing because of new technology. In fact, according to the federal government's Advisory Council on Economic Growth, nearly 50 per cent of the paid work currently performed in Canada could be automated by current or forthcoming technology. Faced with such rapid and profound disruptions,... Read more

August 21, 2015

Raising the quality and image of TVET: Lower-level training or motor for inclusive and sustainable growth?

Abstract: Though viewed as second-class until fairly recently, Canada’s system for providing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) now provides relevant post-secondary education that meets the needs of highly skilled professionals in all job categories. As the system evolved, it changed the public view of skills education. This article analyses four lessons from that experience: on the importance of decentralised authority, close partnership with employers, attention to the needs of learners, and innovative leadership and language. It also reflects on the interests and needs of international partners with respect to the decentralized Canadian TVET system. Author: Paul Brennan

May 23, 2015

Adult Learning Trends in Canada

The Work and Lifelong Learning (WALL) research network, mainly funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), conducted national surveys on work and lifelong learning in Canada in 1998, 2004 and 2010. These surveys provide profiles of paid employment and unpaid household work and community volunteer work as well as the array of adult learning activities. The relations between work and learning are summarized in a number of reports available on the www.wallnetwork.ca website and several published books (see the Related WALL Reports section).

Tags: Research on Colleges

May 23, 2015

Pathways of Adult Learning: Professional and Education Narratives

We have had the pleasure and privilege of journeying with and learning from hundreds of adult learners over the past many years—learners who span a multitude of diverse contexts and cultures. Some were enrolled in certificate, diploma, and degree programs offered through traditional post-secondary and continuing education environments. Others drew from professional contexts—nurses, social workers, sports coaches, fac- ulty members from colleges and universities, human resource personnel, and family life educators.

Tags: Research on Colleges

May 22, 2015

Adult Learners in Ontario Postsecondary Institutions

An important goal of Ontario’s postsecondary education system is to provide the appropriate level of educational attainment to meet the current and future human capital needs of the province (HEQCO, 2009: 19). This purpose reflects the recognition that education and training contribute to the human capital of individuals and make them more productive workers and better informed citizens. Attainment of further education not only provides for individual returns such as higher earnings and lower levels of unemployment , improved health and longevity, and greater satisfaction with life, but it is also strongly linked to social returns such as safer communities, healthy citizens, greater civic participation, stronger social cohesion... Read more

Tags: Research on Colleges

May 22, 2015

Developing a strategy for lifelong learners in Canadian universities and colleges (and its implications for online learning)

This press release from the Council of Ontario Universities shows that students NOT coming direct from high school now constitute 24% of all new admissions, and enrollments from this sector are increasing faster than those from students coming direct from high schools.

Tags: Research on Colleges